Here is a response I received from ASU President, Michael Crow.


Eric:

Thank you for writing and for sharing your concerns regarding this week�s announcement about the ASU wrestling team. As a former student wrestler, I can relate personally to your thoughts regarding the need to discontinue our varsity wrestling program. The decision to do so was neither arbitrary nor desirable, but the unfortunate result of a complex combination of factors tied to the state�s current economic downturn, the program�s potential for competitive success, and its conference/regional support, among others. Lamentably, despite the recognized talent and dedication of its coaches and student-athletes, the program was unable to meet its fiscal responsibilities and, with the current dramatic budget cuts it is facing, ASU is simply unable to continue defraying these costs. To provide some additional context, it would take a $10 million endowment in order to keep the program in operation. ASU will, nevertheless, uphold its scholarship commitments to student-athletes who choose to remain at the university and facilitate the transition of other students who wish to continue their studies elsewhere.

As an institution that is deeply proud of its tradition of academic and athletic excellence, the decision to terminate any student program is always a last resort and, although I wish our current economic circumstances allowed for a different outcome, the reality is that they do not.

I appreciate your taking the time to communicate with me directly on this matter and for your advocacy on behalf of current and prospective Sun Devil student-athletes.

Michael M. Crow
President